Their date took them out to a place she had never seen before, which was the road; they sat on the bonnet of his car, just by the road side. He brought out a bottle of sparkling wine. For the first time around him, she was cautious as she tried to check the alcohol content on the label, she sighed seeing it was alcohol free.

The road was hardly used and only two cars had driven by so far, she sat quietly holding the plastic cup he had given her. He had already taken two swigs of the cup and fetched himself a third. Peaceful silence stretched between them as the wind rustled the knee length grass on both sides of the road; she mirrored the opposite of what was happening in her mind, she tried to believe that at least he wouldn’t be guilty of what she thought. Right now she was ready to let it all out.

“Are you okay?”

She turned her gaze to him and just stared at him, he inched himself closer, “You trying to assess my handsomeness?” His thick eyebrows wiggled suggestively and a toothy grin appeared, if she wasn’t thinking so hard in that moment, she would have laughed at his toothpaste commercial smile. Fred was a handsome man that wasn’t easily denied, but his handsomeness wasn’t enough to blind her to the fact that he broke her trust by cheating on her.

“What happened between you and Nessa?” the instant she asked that a car drove by quickly and quiet noisily. She heard Fred take a sharp breath, “What?”

Pushing herself from the top of the car, she landed on her feet and turned to stand right in front of him, “I think I have to rephrase my question. What has been going on between you and Nessa?”

He tried to take her hand, which she deftly moved out of his reach, “Rain?” his voice sounded like a whisper.

“Just tell me the truth. How long?!”  She looked at him blinking angrily at the tears that were starting to cloud her vision. She was not going to cry now.

Realization crossed his face as his mouth opened and closed with no words coming out.

“Are you going to speak or not?”

“You were there that day” he said quietly, she nodded waiting for him to speak, trying her hardest to prevent the memory that had been burned into her mind from popping up, a picture of betrayal.

“I’m so sorry Rain. I love you and she .......”

“What? She was just a fling, is that what you are going to defend yourself with?”

He shook his head dropping the plastic cup on the bonnet and staring at her, a pleading look appearing on his face, “No, it was a onetime thing. It didn’t mean a thing, it just happened”

“Yeah and you decided to keep it from me too, let me guess that decision too just happened” the disposable cup was forgotten as she had dropped it sometime as she had been questioning him.

“Defend yourself! Go on, find new lies to cover it up”

“I’m human okay! I make mistakes!”

“I know you do, I’m human too, and I’m more hurt you didn’t trust me enough to tell me what had transpired between you and Nessa. And the fact that you were ready to build our marriage on a foundation of lies, marriage is built on trust Fred. You surely know that fact. Plus she’s my cousin, how could you?!”

Taking steps back when he got off the car and attempted to grab her hand once again, she continued to chide herself not to cry no matter how much she was hurting at that moment. She prayed for strength and patience to keep her anger in check.

Fred went silent his eyes cast down unable to meet her eyes. She wasn’t going to let him get to her; she was the one he had betrayed with her cousin. A picture of Nessa begging him not to make her have an abortion popped into mind, Nessa’s exact words had been, “If you won’t let her know about what happened between us, just please do not ask me to abort this baby, please don’t”.

After hearing these words, she had run not waiting to hear his response, “Tell me, were you going to tell me you got her to abort the pregnancy too. That you murdered your child from your affair? She was begging you not to make her have an abortion!”

“I would never do that, sure I made a mistake but I am not capable of such irresponsibility you are insinuating. That child has nothing to do with this; he or she is innocent and is not to be blamed for what I did. Please leave them out and blame me, insult me, slap me, hit me do whatever you want to take your anger out on me, just please don’t leave me, I can’t lose you. It was a moment I couldn’t control Please” his words which started with fierce protectiveness over her mentioning the child dwindled to a heart wrenching plea to her. “I didn’t know how I was going to tell you above all I didn’t want to lose you, I still can’t bear the thought of losing you. I know I should have been honest with you from the beginning but just couldn’t and when she told me she was pregnant, I knew I would lose you for sure, that is why I couldn’t. Please forgive me”

She laughed a humourless laugh, “And what of Nessa?”

“I don’t love her, I love you. You matter to me. I’ll be a father to my child and that is all I’ll be in her life” he raised his head to look at her the pleading look still there.

Rain stared at him, “Are you trying to deny your child a family?”

“I only want a family with you Rain; hopefully you will have my child with Nessa”

“Don’t think that child will be a bargaining chip, what about Nessa? Huh Fred, what about her? She loves you, are you going to take her child away from her just to have what you want. Have you thought about her feelings?”

Awkward silence came as Fred stared not talking. She turned around and started walking away. He followed grabbing her hand and turning around, “Please don’t leave me, I’m begging you. I can’t lose you”

“I need space. Please take your hands off me” he quickly released her, hope at a second chance prominent in his eyes.

She took a step prepared to turn back before something stopped her, “Tell me something” he nodded eagerly awaiting her question, “Did aunt know about this?”

He gave a single slow nod.

“Thank you” she whispered and left.

**************************
Daniel felt so excited on hearing the news. He couldn’t wipe the smile on his face as he jumped into his truck and sped off in the direction of the hospital in mind. Sure he was smiling now, but at the back of his mind and deep in his heart the pain although slightly numb was there, but he was dealing with it, and news such as this was helping, it always did since he found himself in this case. As well as hearing Harry and Vincent making up over their misunderstanding and one punch brawl that scared the ladies of the house thinking it was a fight of death. For one thing he would never admit to Vincent, he wished he was there when everything happened, to see cool and laid back Vincent throwing a punch. Now that was something he would have made a video of and teased him with. He drove through the clear streets, a smile on his face at the thought.

As he drove to the hospital, he chose not to dwell on the past, for dwelling on it was more like trying to hold the water in your hand in the end, it slips through your fingers. So was his case, dwelling on it was going to cause him to have a false hope of him getting to be with the woman who had stolen his heart in such a way, he still couldn’t comprehend even until now. He had chosen to move on from it and news like this that he just heard lifted his mind off it and off her.

A woman standing on the pavement that divided both roads caught his eye as he saw her miscalculate her steps to climb the pavement and nearly fell face first. She quickly composed herself and stood straight, her eyes fixed straight ahead. He wondered if she could see the people who were snickering behind her but concluded if she did, she didn’t care about them. He had been made to stop as the traffic light turned red. He looked at the woman who still remained standing on the pavement, wasn’t she supposed to cross already?

Shaking his head, he looked away, only to look back when he saw some familiarity. Doing a double take, he saw the unmistakeable features of Rain. He wondered if he was to talk to her or not. Would she talk to him? But as he looked closer he could see she didn’t look okay. The light turned green, he drove ahead parking at the side of the road. He looked into the drivers mirror to see her cross the road to the side of the road, he got down and headed in a straight line towards her, she was headed in a straight line towards him n, making it much easier for him.

She stopped abruptly when she saw him, “Daniel?”

“Hi” he said lamely.

She stared at him.

“How are you?” he ventured to ask.

“I’m good"

“Rhoda just delivered a boy. I’m on my way there. You can join me, I’m sure she will be excited to see you” once the invitation was out, he immediately wished he hadn't. What if she says no?

He waited a few seconds before she responded, “If you wouldn’t find a problem with it”

He found none.

“Let’s go then” he said leading the way to the car he had parked.

“How does it feel to be back home?”

“Okay”

That was as far as their conversation went before he drove into the car pack of the hospital. Her footsteps trudged silently behind him, as they walked towards the door of Rhoda’s ward. He noticed the slight dragging of her feet as she walked not sparing a minute; he grabbed the door knob and pushed it open. Mrs. Asamoah and Rhoda were cooing at the baby in the elder woman’s arms. They all looked towards the door that was open, their eyes fixed on the figure standing right behind him. He reached for her hand and gave her a gentle squeeze before nudging her forward, she moved forward, a small smile appearing on her face as she whispered a hi.

“Hi yourself too” Rhoda said from the bed, pushing herself into a sitting position, “Come on here, don’t just stand there” she added, waving her over when she didn’t move any closer.

Mrs. Asamoah sighed, “Come closer my dear, we are not mad at you”

“I’m so sorry” the sob, she’d had stuck in her throat burst.

Daniel walked out of the room immediately after that giving the women some space.

He needed space himself, because seeing her again he realised he was not over her.

Not even a little bit.